5 candidates seek 2 seats at PTA forum

At a PTA-sponsored candidates forum May 2 at the school district office, each of five candidates for two trustee seats on the Baldwin Board of Education attempted to persuade voters that he or she was the best choice.

Proctored by the League of Women voters, the forum saw the incumbents — Mary Jo O’Hagan, current board president and 18-year board veteran, and Robert “B.A.” Schoen, who has served on the board for 16 years — square off against three challengers: a pair of PTA presidents, Tracy Mahler, of the Milburn PTA, and Eric Harrison, from Shubert, as well as retired financial professional Michael Grannum.

“Yes, there are men in the League of Women Voters,” said moderator Harris Dinkoff. “I want to avoid any confusion.” Dinkoff then asked the candidates three questions of his own, followed by a selection of queries from the audience. Each candidate was asked to answer each question in turn, but the format of the event did not allow for direct debate among them.

Some 70 residents were on hand for the forum, which ran for just over two hours. It quickly became apparent that the candidates can be grouped into three categories. Schoen and O’Hagan are the old pros seeking another term; Mahler and Harrison are frustrated parents seeking to oust board members in retaliation for the hotly debated closings of two district schools; and Grannum is an experienced financial professional who believes he can contribute to a board that needs fresh perspective.

The word “transparency” came up repeatedly in the candidates’ answers. Mahler and Harrison insisted that there should be more of it, while O’Hagan and Schoen said there was enough, and Grannum said he felt that the word was being overused, and suggested that “communication” was the real issue.

Somewhat surprisingly, the discussion revealed more similarities than differences. All the candidates came out against charter schools — an issue that will gain momentum when the board begins looking at ways to use “mothballed” buildings in upcoming years. All the candidates save Mahler said they would vote to approve the budget on Tuesday. (She explained that she does not like to reveal her voting decisions.) All agreed that arts and sports programs are a source of enrichment no school system should ignore.

Differences emerged on the subject of the recently shuttered Program for the Academically Gifted. Grannum and Mahler said they would like to see it restored, while Harrison, Schoen and O’Hagan said it should be replaced with a more inclusive option.

There were also contrasting ideas on bridging the potential $6 million budget gap that looms next year. Harrison stated that he would cut spending on BOCES, Mahler said she would look for ways for the district to raise revenues, and Grannum said he would look outside the classroom for ways to save money. Schoen and O’Hagan both raised objections to the question, pointing out that any answer would be speculation in the absence of contextual information.

When pressed, however, Schoen said that the state might end up contributing some form of mandate relief, but there would be “casualties along the way,” and O’Hagan reservedly predicted that it might be possible to derive income by renting the Shubert and Milburn buildings.

Overall, the forum was amicable and productive. In conversations after the microphone was turned off, the incumbents and their challengers congratulated one another in a way that would have seemed unthinkable during the angry, hours-long school board meetings district observers have endured in recent months. And a theme seemed to emerge: The incumbents feel they have done better than could have been hoped with the available funding, while Harrison and Mahler disagree, and hope to unseat the board members they feel failed the district. Grannum, meanwhile, would like to bring his decades of experience to bear for the benefit of the district’s schools.

The budget vote and school board election will be held at Baldwin Senior High School on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and residents may register to vote at the district office until May 10.

For detailed profiles of each candidate, see page 3. For the Herald’s endorsements, see page 24. Up-to-date coverage of the election will be available all week at www.liherald.com/Baldwin.